stern of the _Montagne_ she poured in a
tremendous fire from her starboard guns at such close quarters that the
rigging of the two vessels were touching. The _Jacobin_, the next ship to
the _Montagne_, shifted her position and took up that which the _Queen
Charlotte_ had intended to occupy. Lord Howe then engaged the two vessels,
and his fire was so quick that ere long both had to fall out of the fight.
A furious combat followed between the _Queen Charlotte_ and the _Juste_,
in which the latter was totally dismasted. The former lost her
main-topmast, and as she had previously lost her fore-topmast she became
totally unmanageable.

Thus almost single-handed, save for the distant fire of the _Invincible_,
Lord Howe fought these three powerful ships. At this time a fourth
adversary appeared in the _Republicain_, one hundred and ten guns,
carrying the flag of Rear-admiral Bouvet. Just as they were going to
engage, however, the _Gibraltar_ poured in a broadside, bringing down the
main and mizzen-masts of the Frenchman, who bore up and passed under the
stern of the _Queen Charlotte_, but so great was the confusion on board
her that she neglected to rake the flagship.

The _Montagne_, followed by the _Jacobin_, now crowded on all sail; and
Lord Howe, thinking they intended to escape, gave the order for a general
chase, but they were joined by nine other ships, and wore round and sailed
towards the _Queen_. This craft was almost defenceless, owing to the loss
of her mainmast and mizzen-topmast.

Seeing her danger, Lord Howe signalled to his ships to close round her,
and he himself wore round and stood to her assistance.

He was followed by five other battle-ships, and Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse
gave up the attempt and sailed to help his own crippled ships, and, taking
five of them in tow, made off.

Six French battle-ships were captured, and the _Vengeur_, which had been
engaged in a desperate fight with the _Brunswick_, went down ten minutes
after she surrendered.

The British loss in the battle of the 1st of June, and in the preliminary
skirmishes of the 28th and 29th of May, was eleven hundred and
forty-eight, of whom two hundred and ninety were killed and eight hundred
and fifty-eight wounded.

The French placed their loss in killed and mortally wounded at three
thousand, so that their total loss could not have been much under seven
thousand.

Decisive as the victory was, it was the general opinion in the fleet that